Thursday, June 19, 2014

Separation of Church and State? Never!

In the light of the many confusing and modernist
notions that have emanated from Rome since the Second Vatican Council, it
is useful to turn to approved and classic works dealing with various
aspects of true Catholic doctrine. For that reason I have re-read
Fr. Denis Fahey's The Social Rights of Our Divine Lord Jesus
Christ the King, which I first
studied in 1990. This book was originally published, with
Imprimatur, in 1932,
and was adapted by Fr. Fahey from an earlier work in French by the
Rev. A. Phillipe. In essence, it expounds the Catholic doctrine on
the rights of Our Lord Jesus Christ in society.

The
following quotes demonstrate the logical progression of Fahey's thought. They are from the first section of the book, Chapters 1
through 6, which deal with the fundamental doctrine on Church and
State. Subsequent chapters are concerned with the errors introduced
into the modern mentality by the “Declaration of the Rights of Man”
of 1789, and of ways to remedy them.

“Now
the first truth – on which all others depend, and which imposes
obligations on the creature – is that of the sovereign dominion of
God over every creature and the absolute dependence of every creature
on God.”

“We
can never lose sight of the fact that man is placed on earth to
prepare for eternal happiness. All institutions, divine or human,
have for their last end the glory of God and the salvation of souls”

“The
constitutions of nations, their legislation . . . must like
everything else, on account of this last end, be in conformity with
the Eternal Law of God, with the Creed and with the Ten
Commandments.”

“The
Sovereign Pontiffs have always taught that there should be a perfect
understanding between Church and State. The reason of this is simple
enough: Church and State are two institutions established by God.”

“Pius
IX and Leo XIII have explicitly condemned the doctrine of the
separation of Church and State.” [Pius IX's Syllabus
of Errors and Leo XIII's
Immortale Dei and Libertas, are
quoted in later chapters of the book.]

“Public
homage of adoration and love, thanksgiving and reparation, is in fact
owing to Christ in His Godhead. This homage is laid upon Christ as
man, and upon all men by Christ as King.”

“It
belongs then to His kingship to lay upon men and upon human society
those various kinds of spiritual worship, for they are the only
means, both for man and for society, to attain their final end, union
with God in the Three Divine Persons.”

“The
Divine Master wants His Church to be in the world the instrument for
the salvation of souls.”

“Every Society then must obey
the Church as Christ Himself, for the Church is commissioned to
explain His mind and will just as much to men gathered in society as
to the individual.”

A nod
to the late Fr. Luigi Villa for inspiring the title of this post.